It’s beginning to look a lot like the holidays… Or at least that’s what retailers seem to be saying.

From carols in the stores to advertisements touting “the lowest holiday prices,” it looks like the holiday retail season has begun.

This year, great deals will be even more important as families try to make their budgets stretch. So as you search for the best bargains and hottest items, check back with The Holiday Wrap Up for the latest retail news.

And new for 2008: You can follow The Holiday Wrap Up on Twitter. We’ll be updating under the name ‘holidaywrap.’

Some said they decided to take the plunge because their kids were old enough to sleep at a relative’s house while they shopped. Others said the prices were just too good to pass up and they knew they’d get amazing deals.

Dan Sealock, 41, of Orlando, went out shopping to buy gifts for his 13-year-old daughter. When he’s done shopping, he figures he’ll spend about $1,400 or $1,500 on a TV, DVD player, stereo system and exercise equipment for her. This was his first Black Friday shopping experience.

"I’ll swim across the lake in January for her, but not for anybody else," Sealock said at about 8:30 a.m. at the Circuit City on East Colonial Drive.